Now Playing: Law & Order : Fifth Season, "Second Opinion"
Current Mood : Slightly perturbed and eager to go sew some more !
Spent on dolls/sewing today : $1.48
Got to do a little shopping and a little sewing today ! Replaced the storm damaged or eaten up groceries, with a few little treats besides. And I got my prescriptions - Beloved Hubby said that was a big load off his mind. I got to talk to some folks in line at the pick-up window - still lots of people without power. Mal-Wart had storm supplies stocked and waiting, but no lamp oil. I poked around the dolls and fabric sections, but didn't find anything but the D-rings Beloved needed for his new AirSoft gun. They're about half as much there than they are at Hancock Fabrics.
The community thrift store had lots of dolls, but nothing I really liked. Found some bright orange felt for 29c, a magnetic paper-clip holder/pen cup combo for 49c, and a blue knit pajama top with moons and stars for 50c. I can always use felt, and the pen holder could replace an old cup (from the L & L scavenge, nearly two years ago now) and the magnet dish I use for pins (I glued fridge magnet bits to the bottom of a small, old saucer) on my sewing table.
The pajama top I thought had doll clothes possibilities. I wanted to try that stretchy dress pattern I downloaded from Doll Divas (http://members.boardhost.com/DollDivas/msg/archive/1196456007.html ) last week, because I was curious if my understanding of the sleeve seams was correct. This top was a stretchy knit....Ummm...well, much as I like the fabric, it must not have been stretchy enough. Printed as downloaded, it only fit my Tyco Ariel, who has a pre-teen Skipper type body. She's only about nine inches tall without her mermaid fin - with, she's closer to 11 inches in height. Found her in a thrift store in about 2001, lost in a Barbie dress.
Tyco got bought out by Mattel in 1997, nearly ten years after the first ‘strawberry blonde' Ariel went on shelves - and was quickly replaced with a more film-accurate tressed version. Those are semi-collectable, but not much. The face is much more ‘blah', bland and not as vivid as the movie character or the 2.0 doll. It seems between the unremarkable face and the washed-out lookin' hair, nobody really wants the original one, except mint-in-box to complete a collection. Not sure if Mattel had to renegotiate with Disney to make their taller Ariel dolls, or if the right came with the purchase of the company, but they have the current Disney Princess vinyl fashion doll lines pretty much sewn up.
It's also worthy of note that, in 1989, Tyco purchased the Ideal/View Master group. In 1992, they purchased Matchbox, maker of tiny cars and Robotech dolls. And then Mattel bought them five years later - and got all those revered toy lines, names, and technology.
Anyway. It could be the pattern didn't print at the right size. There's no seam allowance marks on the pattern, no ‘this line is one inch long' key on the source. So, time permitting, I'm gonna try it again, increased 30% this time. At least it'll be longer ! While it wouldn't close on a standard Barbie body, it fit elsewise - as a blouse ! Didn't even cover the molded-on panties. Yikes !
Ps to Monika - Hey, hon ! I still owe you a letter...but my sewing machine's singing its siren song ! I can barely eat and type right now, for hearing it and wanting to go try Doll Divas Dress 2.0 ! Beloved agrees with every word you wrote, about those harridans at Book Fair. I'm considering making a small beanie-baby size insect, and calling it my ‘slug bug'. It'll reside in my purse until I need to whack somebody ! (lol) Or I could hand out ‘clue by four' stickers to victims I'd rather apply the real thing to...
